Full blown Spring Bits and Bobs. - 2017

[PLUMPUDDING]

Afraid it did OH. Think we had a -7 over us. Might leave broad beans and brassicas in cold frame a few more days, and better put some straw over potato shoots that I earthed up.

[oldherbaceous]

Thank you Plumpudding, i think there will be lots of people getting caught out....

[Ricard with an H]

Thanks for the advise on parsley Geoff.

I'm not growing cauli again, or cabbage. And I won't grow kale this year. Cauli and cabbage takes up a lot of space and I just don't eat it fast enough. Last seasons cauli went to seed very quickly. I'll sow climbing French beans for the first time this year, I'll plant garlic and onion though I doubt onion is a sensible crop for me.

I always grow good parsley though.

Something strange happened in one of my beds, lots of self-seeded oxeye daisy. Oxeye daisy does easily self seed but not usually from fifty paces away and uphill.

I tried to get a local gardener to help me plant those hedging bare root plants, fortunately every one was far too busy. Fortunately because I doubt many would make the effort I did to make sure each and every planting hole was correctly prepared. It was hard going for an old hit and I made a mess of my back pain.

[tigerburnie]

Planted out a few Broad Beans I started in pots in the greenhouse, last years direct sowings were slow on the uptake, also planted some peas direct along with some French breakfast radish

[peter]

Yesterday did a bit more excavating in my big compost bay, it started to rain, so moved to the greenhouse.
The rain died out after about an hour, but I was happily sowing stuff.
Two full big heated propagators and half a dozen 1/4 trays.

Mahoosive ant nest in one of the dales that had been filled with wood chip, from the top of the dale down into the wet clay.

Today's plan is to plant put onion & Shallot sets, more excavating, maybe a post and some more sowing.
Somehow I don't think all that's planned will happen.

But first must get some missing brassica seeds or I won't have sprouts for Christmas or any cabbages!

[Primrose]

I did some more laborious handweeding of oxalis. One birder now looks clear of the stuff but no doubt within a fortnight new clover like leaves of this wretched weed will start appearing again.

My peas are just starting to appear through the soil. In view of imminent frost warnings I'm wondering whether I should lightly earth them over as I have no straw. Will this damage them do you think?

[Primrose]

[quote="Ricard with an H"
I'm not growing cauli again, or cabbage. And I won't grow kale this year. Cauli and cabbage takes up a lot of space and I just don't eat it fast enough. Last seasons cauli went to seed very quickly. .[/quote]

I find it's all too easy to sow over enthusiastically with some of these bigger plants, especially if growing space is limited or there are only two of you to eat the stuff. My solution is just to sow three or four seeds in one of those plastic supermarket plastic fruit punnets so I have just a few seedlings to plant out of different plants. I was over enthusiastic sowing kale plants last spring and had an embarrassment of the stuff although latterly I did find big handfuls of it chopped finely and baked sprinkled with oil and Five spice powder shrivelled down dramatically to make good "Chinese seaweed".

[Ricard with an H]

Primrose, I had some curly kale yesterday even though it's going to seed. I like it cooked and sautéed in oil. I think I may miss kale though as you suggest maybe just a few plants rather than a plantation might be an idea. I'm still harvesting carrots and some extra late sowings are giving me baby carrots right now so carrots are in favour and not one had fly-attack because of the enviromesh system I have.

I just retired for the day with a cold beer, my back is really hurting. More beer.

[Westi]

Hi Richard!

Now you are surprising me! You are giving up? Where's the bloke that took the challenge head on, researched & created ways to make it work? It is indeed as Primrose says, not too many sown - two reasons a) they take a lot of space, b) there is always 2 - 4 meals in each plant so why do you want more? ....Oh might throw in a c) Freezes brilliantly! xx

[peter]

So after abut 450 sets, 2 rows of shallots and 8 of onions, I retired to the greenhouse and sowed brassicas.

[Ricard with an H]

Nooooooo, not giving up. Nooooooo.

This year is climbing French beans, onion, garlic, carrot, more herbs, some salads and something new. I may put some Charlotte in the ground today in the hope I get them grown before the summer rains and blight.

One bed is to be for flowers, I already sown some dwarfing Cosmos but so far they didnt germinate very well and Kings seeds sent me an empty packet of seed that they promised to replace but didn't.

An empty packet of seed ?

As if I didn't have enough to keep me busy, the poo hit the fan two weeks ago when I found a leak on a ducted drain from my kitchen sink that has been leaking long enough to cause damp in an adjacent wall, I call John Lewis 24 hour emergency which becomes a joke as they try every way they can to renage on their own policy conditions and wording. They finally decide that my drains are past their useful service date. This is Hepworth solvent weld which will be in existence for thousands of years such is the integrity of quality plastics.

It's all in the hands of the Ombudsman now but I'm stressed. The kitchen sink has to be removed along with the dishwasher and the walls stripped of sand/cement render for a lengthy period of drying.

It's the second time I used 24 hour emergency help in my life so far and both times it's been pantomime but I got paid eventually.

Be wary.

[PLUMPUDDING]

Thank goodness we didn't get the severe frost forecast only -0.2. Still better safe than sorry. It's been the best year I can remember for blossom and the lovely fiery red pieris tips without a keen frost turning everything brown.

[Westi]

Goodness Richard, what a pain! Hope the Ombudsman sorts it for you, but shame they just can't do as they say without fobbing everything & everyone off. Good Luck with that - and the growing of course!

[robo]

My packet of thunderstorm broccoli has just arrived , you should have seen the look on my wife's face when I read the printing on the back out ' a distinctive fast growing broccoli with an outstanding flavour similar to asparagus' it was a picture guess she is not keen on asparagus

[Ricard with an H]

Even though my climbing beans instruction is to only plant out in May or June I sowed seeds in the ground though they are under polythene. Everything I sowed at the end of may beginning of June last year did well though the test I did for comparison between polythene covered and uncovered made a case for me to buy more polythene of the type used for tunnels so I can lay it over those blue water pipe hoops arrangement that works so well for enviromesh, but, I can't remember who I bought the polythene from.

They were really good, cutting the polythene for me perfectly and the quality of the stuff is amazing, one of my mini polytunnels was blown over a black Thorne hedge that included bramble and barbed wire, then right over a six acre field ending up lodged against another fence with barbed wire and blackthorn. The only damage was one tiny puncture and some stretching.

Amazing.